We always think that it's OK for us to leave our plants home during our vacation as plants won't scream like pets, right?

    A recent study done by a group of scientists at the Tel Aviv University has discovered that some plants will scream when they are under stress.

    The research was carried out on tomato plants and tobacco plants by cutting their stems (茎) and depriving (剥夺) them of water. A microphone was placed 10cm away from them. When their stems were cut, the plants started "screaming" between 20 and 100 kilohertz, and the scientists guess that this scream is probably meant to warn other plants nearby.

    When the tomato plants' stems were cut, 25 ultrasonic (超声的) pain sounds were recorded in an hour, and at the same time, 15 ultrasonic pain sounds were recorded from the tobacco plants. When they were deprived of water, the tomato plants recorded even more pain sounds with 35 pain sounds in an hour while the tobacco plants recorded about 11 pain sounds.

    The plants also acted differently to different kinds of stresses. For example, the tobacco plants gave out a stronger "scream" when they were deprived of water than when their stems were cut. But plants that were in no immediate (立刻的) danger gave out less than one ultrasonic sound per hour.

    The group of scientists said that plants are not as quiet as we had always thought, but in fact their voices are so high-pitched that we just can't hear them.

    Last year, another study has found out that plants feel pain when they are touched or hurt and they will give off a terrible smell.

Have you ever seen the treasures at Sanxingdui?

The number one divine tree (神树) is one of the most famous of them. It includes three parts: a base, the tree itself and a dragon. The base is made to be like a mountain, rising on three sides. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The dragon is winding (弯曲) its way down to the mountain. The divine tree is divided into three levels. There are three branches on each level. And each branch spreads in two directions. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Some people think the Number one divine tree is the tree Fusang in the book "Classic of Mountains and Seas". It describes there live nine birds carrying the sun from east to west in Fusang tree. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Every day, one bird takes off from the Fusang tree in the east and flies to the Ruomu tree in the west.

It's said that there are in total of ten birds. But on the divine tree there are only nine, so where's the tenth? There are two different ideas. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} However, most people believe the tenth bird isn't there because it is its turn to fly west, carrying the sun.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Maybe they wanted to use it to connect heaven and earth. They wanted to reach higher and communicate with the gods. At the same time, they hoped to receive gods'ideas.

Yuan Longping passed away on May 22, 2021, at the age of 91.

Yuan was born in Beijing, 1930. He was a great scientist and known for developing the first hybrid rice varieties in the 1970s. Yuan graduated from the Southwest Agriculture Institute in 1953. Yuan was also a strict teacher. He refused to accept the student who didn't want to work in the field. Yuan came up with an idea for hybridizing rice in 1960s. At that time, many people died because they didn't have enough food. Yuan spent his most time on the research and development of hybrid rice. He cared a lot about the poor hungry people home and abroad.

Through years of hard work, Yuan succeeded. Yuan was called the "father of hybrid rice". At present, about 50 percent of China's total rice fields grow Yuan's hybrid rice varieties. Yuan also shared his achievements with people all over the world. He had a great dream that everyone in the world, poor or rich, would never suffer(遭受) from hunger. Yuan never stopped improving hybrid rice before the end of his life.

There are many humanistic monuments (人文古迹) and natural scenic spots (景点 ) in textbooks. Children are always interested in them, and they want to go there in person. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} This kind of tour allows parents and children to deepen their understanding of the scenes (场景) mentioned in the textbooks. 

Many families have taken part in the textbook tour. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They can understand the cultural background and experience the historical period in the textbooks. For example, in Fuzhou, parents and children can watch lively shows and visit the museums to learn more about the famous writer Tang Xianzu in the Ming Dynasty. In addition, they can learn about the local customs. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

The textbook tour is a connection between "reading thousands of books" and "travelling thousands of miles". {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Besides, the textbook tour further increases children's pride in them other land. It also helps them learn about the excellent traditional culture of China. 

The rise of the textbook tour is a great chance for the connection between culture and tourism. For example, the Wen chuan government holds some activities on the birthday of Dayu. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This spreads local culture and provides an unforgettable experience for tourists. As the text book tour becomes a new fashion, the government should offer warm services to achieve a win-win situation for both scenic spots and tourists.

A. This further makes their journey colorful.

B. That's why the textbook tour has become popular these days.

C. They follow the stories in the textbooks and choose places to travel.

D. Cultural workers teach "Dayu culture" to tourists in these activities.

E. Through the practice, children can have a deeper understanding of the textbooks.

F. Textbooks can broaden my horizons.

Jin Ying, 25, is a lover of Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM）. She took part in a three- month training course on acupuncture and tuina（针灸推拿） in the winter of 2023 at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. 

Jin's life has been different since the training. She changed her life habits after learning the Five Elements theory（五行学说）. For example, she avoided sweating（流汗） too much during exercise in winter because the cold of winter means people should slow down , according to TCM. For her, learning these skills and theories was not about becoming a TCM doctor but rather about embracing（拥抱）a new lifestyle. 

She is not an unusual example of young people becoming interested in TCM. A survey by China Youth Daily showed that 93. 3 percent of the 1, 000 young people who took part had tried different TCM treatments. 

"I have seen a rising number of young people come to me for neck and back pains. which are usually related to the elderly, " said Ma Huifang, a TCM doctor at Guoyitang, a TCM hospital affiliated（附属） with Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. 

Between Western medicine and TCM, young people often choose TCM due to its efficacy（疗效 ）, according to Ma. Some people question why TCM treats the same illnesses with different prescriptions（处方）. "This. is actually an advantage of TCM, rather than a shortcoming, as it can be a more accurate treatment（精准的治疗） for different patients, " Ma explained. 

Younger age groups are embracing TCM, and, at the same time, TCM is also benefiting young people. As Jin noted, "It helps young people understand Chinese medicine and learn why it is believed to be a treasure of our Chinese culture. "